Product description

The Sony A900 is the top-of-the-line model in the Sony α (alpha) DSLR lineup. As befits a flagship model, the A900 raises the bar in a number of areas. In addition to being the first α DSLR to incorporate a 35mm full frame image sensor, it features the worlds highest 24.6-megapixel (MP) resolution and the worlds first body-integrated full-size SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization technology. The new full frame Exmor CMOS image sensor is significantly larger than traditional APS-C sized sensors, providing a larger capture area, improved wide-angle performance, and tighter depth of field control. In addition, its 24.6MP resolution maximizes the resolving power of your existing lenses for sharper, higher contrast photos. The A900 also features Dual BIONZ imaging processors that allow continuous shooting at up to 5 fps (frames per second) with superb image quality and ultra-low noise, a large, ultra bright glass pentaprism viewfinder with 100% coverage, an Intelligent Preview function that lets you see the effects of manual adjustments on an image before you take the shot, and best-in-class viewing with a photo-quality 3.0” Xtra Fine LCD (921K pixels) display and HDMI output with PhotoTV HD compatibility.

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Review from Wired.com: Upstart Sony DSLR Pops Nikon and Canon on the Chin

Sony came out swinging for the fences with the introduction of its "flagship" DSLR, the A900. Billed as prosumer digi-snapper, but packed with a panoply of pro-style features, a memory card bursting, 24-megapixel full-frame sensor, crystal clear high-def LCD, on-board image stabilization, and priced at $3000 [body only], this one’s likely to give the vastly more expensive, highest end Canons and Nikons a solid run for their money.
Read the full Sony A900 digital SLR review at Wired.com.

The Alpha 900 represents in a nutshell the almost schizophrenic nature of Sony's digital camera division, which can market compact cameras with smile detection and a Playstation style user interface at the same time as this, perhaps the most pared-down, frill-free and unashamedly 'serious' DSLR we've seen in a long time. You can't help feel that Sony's long-held worry that as a consumer electronics giant it will never be totally accepted as a serious camera manufacturer has been instrumental in shaping a flagship camera that studiously avoids the creeping 'gadgetization' of DLSRs and concentrates on old fashioned stuff like picture taking.

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First, let me say I was more than ready to jump ship when Sony acquired Minolta and then had the nerve to advertise the a100 as the next generation of the Minolta 7D. Having owned three 7Ds the a100 was just a slap in the face. But, jumping ship is expensive and time consuming so I decided I'd wait until I couldn't use my 7D bodies anymore before starting the painful process of moving to Nikon or Canon. Besides, what I REALLY wanted was a 35mm format and everyone's 35mm bodies were horridly expensive. Waiting sounded like a good plan.

So, after a few years of watching Sony release amateur grade (barely above point-and-shoot) bodies made for midgets when they finally announced releasing the a850 and a900 I wasn't very enthused. Yes, they were 35mm but it doesn't do me any good if the body is so small I can't hold onto it. Eventually I decided to bite the bullet and see what they'd come up with.

WOW! I'd like to say Sony should have come out with this instead of the a100 several years ago and bag on them for taking so long but honestly it was worth the wait! Yes, it may be missing a feature or two that the Nikons and Canons have but the a900 is a fraction of the cost. What Sony has really done to both impress and surprise me is release a camera that is JUST A CAMERA. I'm sorry but all the wiz-bang crud (video, gps, in-camera post processing, etc) Nikon and Cannon (and others) are trying to pack into their bodies is ridiculous. The a900 is clean, easy to use and clean and simple, uncluttered and easy to use AND it's a full sized SLR body. A man with gloves could actually hold onto this camera and even operate it. Hear that Sony? The majority of SLR users are NOT ultra-petite women and children!

If you're a high end amateur or low-mid professional photographer moving from SLR film to DSLR and want to continue in a 35mm format you will not be disappointed. The menu is easy to use and clean. The quick menu lets you access all the commonly used functions quickly and easily with just a few button clicks. Actual buttons duplicate most functions (WB, Drive, ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc) for even faster access. Continuous shooting speed is as advertised. Auto focus is fast (depending on the lens in use, of course) and accurate and about a light year ahead of the 7D. The view finder is AWESOME! It's crystal clear, large and BRIGHT. There is absolutely NO way to describe it. You have to see it yourself. Battery life is at least as good as the 7D. Still, I have two batteries for my a900 body and that's what I'd recommend having.

Things to be aware of but are not necessarily negatives: there is no built in flash. This is considered a professional body and professional grade bodies typically don't come with built in flash. It does have the Minolta hot-shoe, however, and whatever you plug in has to be compatible. RAW files are 36MB. EACH. That means you can fit about 110 on a 4GB card and they have to be FAST cards if you want to maintain the continuous shooting speed Sony claims. So, multiple cards or fewer bigger cards. I opt for the 4GB cards because if one dies I'm not loosing 200+ pictures. The RAW (or ARW as Sony names them) files require the packaged picture converter software or something like Photoshop 4+ with Camera Raw. CS3- users will have to upgrade (as I found out). Sony's software is functional but it's very clunky; CS5 Standard puts it to shame. You will need LOTS of storage on your laptop/pc. RAW->TIFF will generate HUGE files. The body is big and it is weighty. With a prime lens like the 50mm it's perfectly balanced and very easy to hold and use. Coupled with something like the Minolta 28-70mm f2.8 G or the equivalent CZ lens you have a monster. Thanks to the body size and ergonomics its perfectly manageable it's a HEAVY, BULKY package. Personally, I have no issues with this as it's the same as using my old 35mm film bodies but if you're a very petite woman or you're teaching your kids they're probably going to have problems.

One negative with the a900 -- and it ABSOLUTELY IS NOT a fault of the camera or Sony -- has turned into a nasty got-cha for me and is documented elsewhere on the 'net. If you have a lens (or more) of 'questionable quality' such as my old kit lens from one of my 7Ds they're probably going to be unusable on the a850 and a900. A 22 Megapixel 35mm body will show up and magnify any glass quality issues. A LOT! My most important piece of advice with either the a850 or a900 is to be prepared to replace your glass if necessary with GOOD glass. A poor lens on this body is just a waste of an incredible piece of technology. BTW, it is possible to use (most) APS-C lenses but again this is just a total waste of a body. Go get an a700 if you want to use your APS-C lenses.

My favorite feature (besides the view finder): AF Micro Adjust. This gives you the ability (if necessary) to 'tweak' the AF of specific lenses (up to 30 on the a900) on a per lens basis to compensate for front or back focus. This might not sound like such a hot feature but it sometimes comes in handy if you have old lenses. For example, my Minolta 50mm F2.8 Macro was always reasonably sharp but I could tell it was off just a tad if I looked closely. After making an in-camera adjustment of -3 now you can cut yourself on the pictures.

The only negative 'feature' on the a850-900 is the addition of stupid point-and-shoot features to a professional grade DSLR: Creative Style. Really?? Does anyone that buys a $2800+ body want their camera screwing with the picture? I thought that was what post-processing was for. This is a pet peeve of mine because any pictures I shoot with my Minolta lenses on any other setting than Neutral end up looking like cartoons. Minolta lenses are known for their contrast and color reproduction - IMHO, they don't need help from the camera. So, in order to compensate I'd have to make micro-adjustments to the styles and I've given up with that. I've 'fixed' Neutral and just leave it at that. IMHO, this was a waste of Sony programming resources. I think I'm going to nominate this for the 'stupid feature of the year award'.

In my opinion - which has changed since purchase - the only real drawback to the a850 and a900 is the price. Steep for even high end amateurs but after spending a few weeks with my new a900 body I've changed my opinion. The cost is well worth it if you have a lot of a-mount gear and good glass. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to do it again. In fact, I wish I would have bought one a year ago.

What makes this a great body is in most ways subjective but I believe it boils down to image quality and ease of use. The image quality is incredible and in many ways is like the difference you see between 35mm and medium format if you were comparing an APS-C DSLR (like the a700) to the a900. My personal opinion echoed by many others is that the a850-900 is one of the easiest to use and most comfortable bodies produced in quite some time. So, between these two I give the a900 an A+++.:)

Let me start by saying that I teach a digital photography class at the local community college, and I've seen/used/taught about every major brand and many minor brands of digital cameras, and I think every manufacturer makes a camera that is right for different people with different requirements. That being the case, the alpha900 is amazing. The resolution is not only record breaking, but the clarity of each of those pixels is quite good (with the right lens). The image stabilization on a full-frame sensor is a first (and so far, only). 5 Frames per second? At 24.6 megapixels? It is a testament to Sony's knowledge of electronics. The view finder really does exemplify why "live view" is more of a marketing checklist item, and not really necessary; looking through the view finder is a joy.

But, the world of the a900 isn't all roses. If you have a collection of Sony/Minolta lenses, hopefully they're all full-frame. Yes, the a900 supports APS-C lenses, but there is no real advantage to them with this body over other Sony DSLRs. The a900 does "find focus" better than previous Sony DSLRs, but the location of the focus points aren't as well laid out as other Sony models. While I usually carry an external flash, so the lack of a pop-up flash isn't a problem for me, many users will find the lack of one to be, at least, an annoyance.

And last, but certainly not least, is post production once the images are off of the camera. If you primarily shoot in RAW (as I do), and do much post-production, be prepared to bring your computer to it's knees. These files are huge, and all that wonderful resolution comes at cost; that being the amount of pure computing horsepower required.

Given those few caveats, the alpha900 really is a big step forward in digital SLRs, in many ways. If you can justify the cost of this body, it really is worth having, and you'll be surprised at just how much detail a single image can have when its almost 25 megapixels.

Awesome camera which is deserving of my Minolta lens collection. Sony did Minolta proud with the A900 and it seems clear that Minolta design engineered into it. The A900 is a classic amongst Sony Alpha/Minolta Maxxum enthusiasts, and for good reasons.

Very happy with this camera. Started out with Minolta years ago and was happy Sony bought out the company so I could continue to use items I already had. I just had too much invested to switch brands. May be to much camera for a beginner and too much money for just starting out but if you are into Sony it is worth it.

Best bang for the buck. I have other legacy cameras from Nikon, but for simplicity and execution the Sony works well for me. Forget about noise., that discussion is a big yawn. Unless it's sports that pays your bills, this Sony hangs with the rest of them. I use Raw Photo Processor to work on my files, and CS5 to finish with.

I decided to get a good camera and I think I got the best!I do not have a clue about taking pictures, I just shoot and hope for the best ;)Nevertheless, every time I use my camera I get tons of great pictures, I can crop them to make them look even better and even after cropping very small stuff, the resolution is great. Not too heavy, easy to carry around,I tried all sorts of lenses and I like the Zeiss lens I bought ( it was over 15 hundred but worth every penny, no meed to change to any other lens)If you do not have much "photography experience" this camera is the one! easy and does all the work for you